Reducing By-Catch of Seabirds

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for reducing by-catch of seabirds or turtles during fishing include a fish hook ( 220 ) and a barrier or shield ( 227 ) mounted in a position relative to the fish hook ( 220 ) such that the barrier ( 227 ) reduces or prevents hooking of a seabird or turtle by the fish hook or ingestion of the hook by a seabird or turtle. The apparatus includes a degradable component ( 226 ) that degrades when placed in water such that when the degradable component degrades the barrier moves away from the position relative to the fish hook or no longer exists to allow the fish hook to be taken by a fish. The degradable component ( 226 ) may be a retaining means or a mounting means. The degradable component may form part of, or all of, the barrier.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus for reducing by-catch ofseabirds and turtles during fishing. The present invention also relatesto a fish hook. The present invention further relates to an ingestionbarrier or a hooking barrier to reduce by-catch of seabirds and turtlesduring fishing. The present invention also relates to a method ofreducing by-catch of seabirds and turtles in fishing.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Long line fishing is a widely practiced fishing technique that is usedto catch large quantities of fish each year. Long line fishing involvessetting very long fishing lines, in some instances up to 150 km inlength, off a fishing boat. Each line may have hundreds or thousands ofhooks suspended from a main line, with each hook being baited. As themain fishing line is fed off the rear of the boat, each baited hookslowly sinks through the water until it reaches its fishing depth. Longline fishing has proven to be an efficient technique for catching fishand as such forms an important role in feeding the world.

Although long line fishing is a very efficient technique for catchingfish, it is unfortunately also responsible for the deaths of a verylarge number of seabirds and to a lesser extent, turtles, every year. Inparticular, seabirds, such as albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters areattracted to the long line fishing boats and dive for the baits as theyare fed out from the rear of the fishing boat. Unfortunately, manyseabirds become hooked by the hook to which the baits are attached inthis process. Some studies have estimated that in excess of 300,000seabirds die each year as a result of becoming hooked on long linefishing hooks. Typically, the seabirds dive for the bait, become hookedby the hooks and are drowned.

As well as being a conservation issue, it is also in the interest of thefishermen to avoid by-catch of seabirds. The by-catch of seabirdsrepresents a loss of bait and hooks that could otherwise be used tocatch fish. Furthermore, fisherman often utilise sightings of theseabirds to assist in location of the schools of fish that they areattempting to catch.

A number of conservation and government bodies as well as the fishingindustry have provided recommendations on how to reduce by-catch ofseabirds in long line fishing operations. These include:

Setting long line gear at night. Seabirds usually feed during the day.This has met resistance because it decreases fishing time;

Decrease lights that illuminate the water at night. The lights attractthe birds and assist in helping the birds find the bait. Operating indarkened conditions represents an occupational health and safety issue;

Throw hooks into the water from the lee side of the boat. Hooks sinkfaster there than on the turbulent windward side;

Hauling gear as fast as possible and keep the line coming up at a steepangle to the surface;

Thaw bait completely because frozen bait floats;

Only use bait with deflated swim bladders, again to increase the speedat which the bait (and hook) sinks;

Use streamers to scare the birds away. Such streamers can be flown fromthe back of the boat over the areas where the long lines are beingdropped;

Use weighted hooks & lines to help the hooks sink faster. Thisrepresents an occupational health and safety issue with lives being lostfrom the practice; and

Don't throw fish guts into the water before the long lines go into thewater, wait until the lines are set.

The above measures have been shown to have limited and sometimes minimaleffect, increase costs, are hazardous and reduce fishing productivity.

By-catch of seabirds may also be a problem in other fishing operationsthat use hooks to catch the fish.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus forreducing by-catch of seabirds during fishing, the apparatus including afish hook and a barrier mounted in a position relative to the fish hooksuch that the barrier reduces or prevents hooking of a seabird by thefish hook or ingestion of the hook by a seabird, wherein said apparatusincludes a degradable component that degrades when placed in water suchthat when the degradable component degrades the barrier moves away fromthe position relative to the fish hook or no longer exists to allow thefish hook to be taken by a fish.

Advantageously, the apparatus also acts in the same manner to reduceby-catch of turtles.

The barrier becomes completely separated from the hook or the fishingline after degradation of the degradable component. For example, thebarrier sinks after degradation of the component has occurred. Thebarrier preferably also breaks down with the passage of time followingdetachment from the hook or line. This may occur by corrosion ordissolution or some other mechanism.

The degradable component may comprise the barrier itself. Alternatively,the degradable component may comprise part of the barrier. As a furtheralternative, the degradable component may comprise an additionalcomponent to the barrier.

Suitably, the degradable component degrades after a period of time afterplacing the apparatus in water. The period of time is suitablysufficiently long to enable the fish hook and a bait attached to thefish hook to sink below a diving depth of the seabirds and preferablybelow the general feeding range of turtles. Suitably, the period of timeis greater than 1 minute, for example 1 min to 60 min, more suitably 5min to 30 min, even more suitably 10 min to 30 min.

The barrier may be mounted to the fishing hook. In this fashion, thebarrier is maintained in the position relative to the fish hook in whichthe likelihood of ingestion of the hook by a seabird or other hooking ofthe seabird is reduced and/or prevented. Alternatively, the barrier maybe mounted to the fishing line attached to the hook.

In embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the barrieritself may comprise or include the degradable component. Alternatively,a mounting means for mounting the barrier to the hook may comprise orinclude the degradable component. As a further alternative, a retainingmeans for retaining the barrier in position relative to the hook maycomprise or include a degradable component.

The barrier suitably functions to reduce or prevent the likelihood of aseabird being hooked by the fish hook by virtue of the barrier providinga physical barrier that prevents a seabird from biting down on the hookor swallowing the hook or being hooked on any other part of its body.Thus, the barrier may comprise a physical barrier that, when the barrieris mounted to the fish hook, reduces or prevents a seabird from bitingdown onto or swallowing the fish hook.

In some embodiments, the present invention may also reduce thelikelihood of seabirds becoming hooked by means other than by ingestion,for example, by the hook becoming hooked in the skin or feathers of theseabird. In such cases, the barrier may also be described as a hookingbarrier for reducing the likelihood of hooking of seabirds and turtles.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus forreducing by-catch of seabirds during fishing, the apparatus including afish hook and a barrier mounted to the fish hook, the barrier operativeto prevent or reduce ingestion of the hook by seabirds or hooking ofseabirds by the hook whilst the barrier is intact and mounted to thefish hook, the barrier including or comprising a degradable part thatdegrades when placed in water such that when the apparatus is placed inwater the barrier or part thereof degrades such that the barrier or apart thereof becomes detached from the hook or is removed from the hookto enable the hook to be taken by a fish.

In accordance with the present invention, the barrier may be madeentirely from a degradable material. Alternatively, part of the barriermay be made from the degradable material such that when the degradablematerial degrades, a part of the barrier that acts to reduce thelikelihood of a seabird being hooked by the hook or of a seabirdingesting the hook, may be removed or detached from the fish hook.Alternatively, the barrier may include mounting means for mounting thebarrier to the hook, with the mounting means being made from thedegradable material. In this fashion, when the degradable mounting meansdegrades, the barrier is no longer attached to the hook and will tend tomove away from the hook. As a further alternative, the barrier may beprovided with retaining means for retaining the barrier in position andthe retaining means is degradable in water.

The barrier may be formed with a mounting means. The mounting means maybe, for example, a clip that clips to the hook. The clip may act to clipthe barrier to the shank of the hook or to the bend of the hook or tothe eye of a hook or to the barb of a hook. Alternatively, the hook maybe provided with mounting means for mounting the barrier thereto. Themounting means may comprise an opening formed in or joined to the hook,with the opening receiving the barrier. Alternatively, the mountingmeans may comprise a clip formed on or joined to the hook.

As a further alternative, the barrier may be mounted to the hook by useof a suitable adhesive. The adhesive may degrade when placed in water.Suitably, the adhesive may be a water soluble adhesive.

In some embodiments, the barrier itself is degradable.

The degradable component may degrade in the following manner:

The component may be made from a metal that undergoes rapid corrosionwhen placed in water;

The component may be made from metal components that undergo rapidgalvanic corrosion when placed in water;

the component may be made from or include a metal or alloy thatundergoes galvanic corrosion when the barrier is connected to the hookand placed in water;

The component may be made from a water soluble material (for example, afood-based material such as a sugar based material or a salt basedmaterial), which starts dissolving when it is placed in water;

The component may include a water soluble part that, when dissolved,allows at least those parts of the barrier that reduce the likelihood ofhooking a seabird to fall apart and away from the hook;

The component may be fabricated from several parts bonded together witha water degradable adhesive that degrades when placed in water, causingthe parts of the barrier to fall away from the hook, leaving the hookfree to function to catch fish.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a hook for use infishing characterised in that the hook includes a mounting means formounting a barrier thereto, said barrier being effective to reduce orprevent hooking of a seabird by the fish hook or ingestion of the hookby a seabird.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a hook for use infishing characterised in that the hook includes an eye for attaching afishing line thereto and an opening for receiving a barrier or amounting means for a barrier or a retaining means for a barrier tothereby fix the position of the barrier relative to the hook. Theopening for receiving the barrier is suitably located in or on the bendof the hook. However, the opening could also be located in or on theshank of the hook, on the eye of the hook or in or on the barb of thehook. The opening may be formed in the hook as part of the manufacturingprocess of the hook. Alternatively, the opening may be attached to thehook, for example, by welding an eyelet to the hook or by using anappropriate adhesive to secure an eyelet to the hook.

In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a barrier for mountingto a fish hook to reduce the likelihood of the hook being ingested byseabirds or to reduce or prevent hooking of a seabird by the fish hook,the barrier including a member adapted to come into contact with a mouthof a seabird when the barrier is mounted to the hook to thereby reduce alikelihood of the seabird taking the hook into its mouth and becominghooked by the hook, the barrier comprising or including a part that isdegradable in water such that the barrier loses structural integrity apredetermined time after being placed in water.

In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides an ingestion barrierfor mounting to a fish hook to reduce the incidence of hooks beingingested by seabirds, the ingestion barrier including a member adaptedto come into contact with a mouth of a seabird when the ingestionbarrier is mounted to the hook to thereby reduce the likelihood ofingestion by the seabird, the ingestion barrier comprising or includinga part that is water soluble such that the ingestion barrier or partthereof dissolves after being placed in water.

In a seventh aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus formounting to a fish hook to reduce the likelihood of the hook beingingested by seabirds or to reduce or prevent hooking of a seabird by thefish hook, the apparatus including a barrier and a degradable componentthat facilitates mounting or retention of the barrier in positionrelative to the hook wherein the barrier is adapted to reduce alikelihood of the seabird taking the hook into its mouth and becominghooked by the hook when the barrier is mounted or retained in positionrelative to the hook, wherein the degradable component degrades in waterand loses structural integrity such that the barrier can thereafter moveaway from the hook.

The barrier may be a shield that is adapted to be placed over a hook toshield the barb of the hook. The degradable component may be a retainingmeans for retaining the shield in position relative to the hook. In thisembodiment, when the retaining means degrades and loses structuralintegrity, the shield can be removed from the hook. The shield suitablyfalls off the hook and is completely removed from the hook or theassociated line to which the hook is attached.

The retaining means may be a pin.

The shield may include opposed surfaces that are positioned on eitherside of the hook and the pin passes through respective holes in theopposed surfaces to thereby facilitate retention of the pin in positionrelative to the hook. The pin may also pass through a hole or openingformed in the hook to more securely retain the hook in position relativeto the hook.

In an eighth aspect the present invention provides a method for fishingincluding the steps of providing an apparatus as described hereinabove,baiting the hook and placing the apparatus and bait into a body of waterwhereby the bait and apparatus sinks below a diving level of seabirdsand the ingestion barrier degrades and falls off the hook to therebyallow the hook to hook a fish.

The present invention also extends to use of a hooking barrier to reducethe likelihood of hooking a seabird. Thus, further aspects of thepresent invention are as described with reference to the first toseventh aspects of the invention but with the ingestion barrier replacedby a hooking barrier. It will also be understood that the hookingbarrier may prevent ingestion and that the ingestion barrier may preventhooking by other than ingestion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an apparatus in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an apparatus in accordance with yetanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a fish hook in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an ingestion barrier in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a side view of an apparatus in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an apparatus in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an apparatus in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an apparatus in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 shows the components for use in another embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 11 shows the process of fitting the barrier to the hook in theembodiment shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 shows the barrier fitted to the hook;

FIG. 13 shows a similar view to FIG. 12, but with the barrier drawn as atransparent item so that the relative position of the barrier and thehook can be seen;

FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view through the bend of the fish hookshown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 14 shows a view of the components used in another embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 15 shows the process of fitting the barrier to the hook for theembodiment shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 shows a side view of the barrier fitted to the hook; and

FIG. 17 shows a front view of the barrier when fitted to the hook.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It will be appreciated that the drawings have been provided for thepurposes of describing preferred embodiments of the present invention.Thus, the present invention should not be considered to be limitedsolely to the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a combination of a fish hook and a barrier in accordancewith the apparatus of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the hook 10includes an eyelet 12. Eyelet 12 is used to attach the hook to a fishingline, such as a long line fishing line. The hook 10 further includes ashank 14, a bend 16 and a barb 18. The distance 20 between the barb 18and shank 14 is normally referred to as the gape.

The fish hook 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a further eyelet 22 that isattached to the bend 16 of the hook. Eyelet 22 may be attached to thebend 16 by welding, for example. Alternatively, eyelet 22 may beintegrally formed with the hook 10 during the manufacturing process formaking the hook 10.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 further includes a barrier 24. Barrier 24includes a transversely extending member 26, which may be in the form ofa bar. Bar 26 is sized such that it is snugly received in eyelet 22 suchthat the relative orientation and position between the ingestion barrier24 and the hook 10 is maintained when the bar 26 is inserted into theeyelet 22.

The barrier 24 also includes a further bar 28 that extends essentiallyperpendicularly to bar 26.

In order to assemble the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, bar 26 is insertedthrough eyelet 22 until the eyelet is located substantially at themidpoint of bar 26. Suitably, further bar 28 comes into contact witheyelet 22 when the bar 26 is properly inserted into eyelet 22. In thisfashion, the barrier 24 is mounted to the hook 10. It will beappreciated that the diameter of the opening in the eyelet 22 and thesize of the external periphery of bar 26 are such that the bar 26 issnugly or tightly received inside the eyelet 22. Further, theorientation of the barrier 24 is such that the further bar 28 extendsupwardly past the hook as shown in FIG. 1. For example, the further bar28 may be positioned in or adjacent to an imaginary plane that passesalong the length and height of the hook.

The barrier 24 provides a physical barrier that prevents a seabird frombiting down onto the hook in a manner that would cause the hook to beeither swallowed by the seabird or to pierce the inside of the seabird'smouth. For example, FIG. 1 shows an outline of a seabird and its openbeak in dashed outline. As can be seen, the seabird 30 has an upper beak32 and a lower beak 34. When the seabird tries to close its beak overthe hook, the lower beak comes into contact with either the hook shank14 or the bar 26 whilst the upper beak 32 comes into contact with thefurther bar 28. This prevents the seabird from closing its mouth aroundthe hook, thereby reducing the likelihood of the seabird being hooked bythe hook. The bar 26 also prevents the seabird from swallowing the hook.

Thus, the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is effective to reduce thelikelihood of a seabird being hooked by the hook 10. However, thebarrier 24 may also act to prevent fish from hooking themselves on thehook. This is obviously an undesirable outcome for the owner of thefishing boat. To overcome this, the barrier 24 is made such that it iseither wholly made from a material that degrades when placed in water orit includes one or more component parts that degrade in water, with thedegradable parts being arranged such that when they degrade, the barrier24 looses its structural integrity and effectively falls away from thehook, typically by sinking. In this fashion, the hook is then ready forcatching fish.

The barrier 24 is suitably arranged such that the degradable part orparts degrade relatively quickly after being thrown into the water. Mostsuitably, the degradable parts degrade in a period of time that is justlonger than the time required for the baited hook to sink below a divingdepth at which seabirds can dive to collect food from the ocean. In thismanner, the barrier remains intact until the baited hook has sunk belowa depth at which it is accessible to seabirds. Once the baited hook hassunk below the depth to which seabirds can dive, the risk of incidentalby-catch of seabirds on that hook is negligible and loss of the barrierfrom the hook to enable the hook to catch fish can occur.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the hook 10 and further eyelet 22 aresuitably made from a metal, particularly a corrosion resistant metal, tothereby allow the hook and further eyelet to be reused a number oftimes. Stainless steel is a typical metal alloy used in the manufactureof fishing hooks. The barrier 24, in contrast, degrades and falls offthe hook 10 after it has been placed in the ocean. Suitably, the barrier24 is either biodegradable or will eventually completely corrode away inthe ocean to thereby prevent the barrier 24 from forming an ongoinghazard to ocean life.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with thepresent invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 shares a number offeatures in common with that shown in FIG. 1 and, for convenience, likeparts have been referred to using like reference numerals. These likeparts need not be described further.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 differs from that shown in FIG. 1 in thatthe barrier 40 in FIG. 2 includes bar 26 essentially as shown in FIG. 1and a D-shaped member 42 extending from the bar 26. D-shaped member, inparticular, includes a bar 44 that extends generally perpendicularly tobar 26. Orthogonal bars 46, 48 extend generally perpendicularly fromeither end of bar 44, with curved portion 50 joining the orthogonal bars46, 48. The orthogonal bars 46, 48 and curved portion 50 extend from bar44 in a direction that is generally parallel to the direction of thebarb 18 of hook 10. In this fashion, the orthogonal bars 46, 48 andcurved portion 50 points towards the eye of the hook which assists inpreventing the barb of the hook from being exposed. The barrier used inFIG. 2 reduces the likelihood of the hook being ingested by a seabird.It also reduces the likelihood of external hooking of a seabird, foeexample, by the hook becoming hooked in the leg or feathers of aseabird.

FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of the apparatus in accordance withthe present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 shares a number offeatures in common with that shown in FIG. 1. For convenience, likefeatures are denoted by like reference numerals and need not bedescribed further. However, the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 includes abarrier 60 that includes bar 26, a bar 62 that extends generallyorthogonally to bar 26 and further bars 64, 66. Bars 62, 64, 66 define atriangle that points towards the eyelet 12 of fork 10 to thereby provideprotection from the barb 18 of hook 10. The barrier used in FIG. 3reduces the likelihood of the hook being ingested by a seabird. It alsoreduces the likelihood of external hooking of a seabird, foe example, bythe hook becoming hooked in the leg or feathers of a seabird.

FIG. 4 shows a hook 70 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. Hook 70 includes an eyelet 72, a shank 74, a bend 76 and abarb 78. Hook 20 also has an opening 80 formed in the bend 76. Opening80 is suitably formed in the hook 70 during the process of manufacturingthe hook. This can avoid the separate step of having to join a furthereyelet to the hook. Opening 80 can receive the bar 26 shown in theembodiments of FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of another barrier in accordance with thepresent invention. The barrier shown in FIG. 5 is generally similar tothe barrier 24 shown in FIG. 1. However, the barrier 90 shown in FIG. 5includes bar 92 and orthogonally extending bar 94. Bar 92 is made from afirst bar component 95 and a second bar component 96 that are joinedtogether by a region of adhesive 97. Similarly, bar 94 is joined to thebar 92 by another region of adhesive 98. Alternatively, bar 92 may beformed as part of component 95 or component 96. The adhesive used inregions 97 and 98 is a water soluble adhesive. Thus, when the barrier 90shown in FIG. 5 is positioned on a hook (for example, as shown inFIG. 1) and thrown into the ocean, the regions 97, 98 of water solubleadhesive start to dissolve. When the regions 97, 98 have dissolved to acertain extent, they lose their structural integrity (this may occurwhen the regions are fully dissolved or only partly dissolved butsufficiently weakened such that the weight or drag of the barrier can nolonger be resisted) and the bar portions 94, 95 and 96 simply fall awayfrom the hook.

FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment of a combination of a hook and barrierin accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 6, a hook 100 includesan eyelet 109, a shank 102, a bend 103 and a barb 104. An additionaleyelet 105 is either joined to or formed with the eyelet 101. Eyelet 105receives a bar 106, which, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6,constitutes the barrier. Bar 106 is snugly or tightly received in eyelet105 such that the bar 106 remains in its relative position compared tothe hook 100.

As can be seen from FIG. 6, bar 106 extends from the eyelet 105 downpast the bar 104. Thus, the bar 106 prevents a seabird from closing itsmouth around the hook 100 to thereby reduce the likelihood of theseabird being hooked by the hook 100. The barrier used in FIG. 6 alsoreduces the likelihood of external hooking of a seabird, foe example, bythe hook becoming hooked in the leg or feathers of a seabird.

The bar 106 may be suitably made from a degradable material, such as awater soluble product. Alternatively, bar 106 may include a region 107that is degradable in water (for example, by dissolution or by galvaniccorrosion). When region 107 is degraded to a certain extent, it loses itstructural integrity and the lower part of bar 106 falls away to therebyexpose the bar 104 of hook 100, allowing the hook to catch fish.

FIG. 7 shows a further embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7,the hook 110 comprises a standard long line fishing hook. The barrier111 includes bar 112 having a clip 113 formed thereon. Clip 113 includesarms 114, 115. In order to affix the ingestion barrier 111 to the hook110, the arms 114, 115 of clip 113 are snapped over the bend of the hook110. This acts to mount the barrier 111 to the hook 110.

In order to enable the barrier 111 to separate from the hook 110 once ithas been placed into the ocean and has sunk below the diving depths ofseabirds, either the clip 113 may be made from a degradable material orpart of the bar 111 may be made from a degradable or all of the barrier111 may be made from a degradable material.

FIG. 8 shows a further embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, ahook 120 having eyelet 121 joined to the bend thereof has a coiledhooking barrier 122 inserted into the eyelet 121. This acts to retainthe hooking barrier 122 in position relative to the hook. As can be seenfrom FIG. 8, the hooking barrier 122 includes a coiled portion thatextends over and around the barb 123 of hook 120. In this manner, thehooking barrier 122 prevents the barb of the hook from hooking into theskin or feathers of a seabird. The hooking barrier 122 may also be sizedsuch that it prevents the hook being ingested by the seabird. Thehooking barrier is degradable in water.

FIG. 9 shows a further embodiment of the present invention that has manyfeatures in common with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. For convenience,like reference numerals will be used to denote like parts but with a ′added. These parts need not be described further. The embodiment of FIG.9 differs from that of FIG. 1 in that the hooking barrier or ingestionbarrier includes a short bar extending from bar 26′. Bar 130 includes aright angle extension 131 that is inserted through eyelet 22′ to mountthe barrier to the hook and to retain the barrier in the correctposition relative to the hook to reduce the likelihood of the hookhooking a seabird, either by ingestion or otherwise. The free end 132 ofextension 131 can be bent around the eyelet 22′ to minimise the chanceof the barrier becoming prematurely detached from the hook.

The barrier may be degradable in water, or the extension 131 may bedegradable in water.

In the embodiments of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-9, the ingestionbarrier or hooking barrier comprise a single use item whilst the hookcomprises a reusable, multi-use item. This is especially suitable formodem day fishing operations in which it has been estimated that over abillion long line hooking operations take place each year around theworld. To supply a fishing boat with sufficient quantities of materialneeded to fish with a reduced likelihood of hooking seabirds as aby-catch, the fishing boat need only be provided with a similar numberof hooks to that which it would presently carry. The fishing boat shouldalso be provided with a number of ingestion barriers/hooking barriersequivalent to the number of hooking operations anticipated to beconducted during the particular voyage of the fishing boat.

The ingestion barriers/hooking barriers suitably constitute aninexpensive, easily mounted, single use item that addresses theenvironmental concerns of seabird by-catch issues without addingsignificantly to the cost of fishing or to the labour involved insetting and baiting the fishing lines. Indeed, mounting the barriers tothe hooks can be as simple as inserting a bar into an eyelet or openingin the hook. Thus, environmental issues and the needs of the fishermenare met by the present invention.

Advantageously, the present invention also may assist in reducing theby-catch of turtles from long line fishing operations.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to itsuse in long line fishing operations, it will be appreciated that thepresent invention can be used to minimise the by-catch of seabirds inany fishing operation that utilises fish hooks.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention maybe susceptible to variations and modifications. For example, theembodiments shown in FIGS. 1-9 describe the barrier as including adegradable part or being made as a degradable part. It may be possiblethat a separate clip may be used to connect the ingestion barrier to thehook. That separate clip may, for example, include a first receivingmeans for receiving and holding the hook and a second receiving meansfor receiving and holding the barrier. That clip may constitute adegradable component. Alternatively, the barrier may be mounted to thehook by use of a water soluble adhesive. Furthermore, the invention alsoencompasses the use of any particular hook described herein incombination with any particular ingestion barrier or hooking barrierdescribed herein.

The component that is degradable in water may be made from a watersoluble product, such as a food product (for example, a sugar basedproduct or a salt based product). Alternatively, it may be made from ametal composition that undergoes rapid galvanic corrosion when placed inthe ocean or other body of water. In some embodiments, the galvaniccorrosion reaction may occur when the barrier is in electrical contactwith the hook and placed in water. The degradable component may alsocomprise a water soluble adhesive that is used to secure the ingestionbarrier to the hook or used to manufacture the ingestion barrier fromtwo or more ingestion barrier components. In this fashion, when thewater soluble adhesive dissolves, the ingestion barrier falls apart andfalls away from the hook.

FIGS. 10 to 13 show various views of a further embodiment in accordancewith the present invention. FIG. 10 shows the components used in thisembodiment. The components include a standard fish hook 200 having abarb 201, a shank 202 and a bend 203. The components also include abarrier 204 which is in the form of a shield 205. Shield 205 is suitablymade from mild steel, especially mild steel sheet or plate, or any othermaterial that will dissolve with little or no environmental residue.Shield 205 may be formed by stamping.

Shield 205 includes two opposed surfaces 206, 207. Respective holes 208,209 are formed in opposed surfaces 206, 207.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show placement of the barrier 204 onto the hook 200. Inparticular, placement is as simple as positioning the barrier 204 overthe barb 201 of hook 200 and moving the lower part of the barrier 204(as shown in the orientation given in FIGS. 11 and 12) towards the shank202 of the hook 200. When the holes 208, 209 are positioned within thecurve of the hook shank (as shown in FIG. 12), a fastening pin 212 isinserted through the holes 208, 209. The combination of the shape of theshield 205, the retaining pin 212, the shape of the hook 200 and theposition of the hook barb 201 acts to retain the barrier 204 in positionwhilst retaining pin 212 remains in the holes 208, 209.

The retaining pin 212 may be made from a metal alloy that undergoesrapid galvanic corrosion. In this regard, it will be understood that thehook 200 will typically be made from stainless steel and that the shield205 is made from mild steel. Thus, the pin 212 is in contact with themild steel shield 205 and is also in electrical contact with thestainless steel hook 200. The alloy from which the retaining pin 212 ismade is chosen to be an alloy that has a low potential (or activepotential) on the electrochemical scale. Accordingly, when placed inseawater, the retaining pin 212 undergoes rapid galvanic corrosion andloses its structural integrity, typically within a time span that ischosen to be from one minute to sixty minutes, more suitably between tenminutes and thirty minutes. This provides sufficient time for the baitedhook with the shield in place to sink below a diving depth of sea birds.

After the combination of hook, barrier and retaining pin has beenimmersed in seawater for a period of time, the retaining pin undergoessufficient galvanic corrosion to cause it to lose its structuralintegrity. Thus, the retaining pin can no longer function to retain thebarrier 204 on the hook 200. The barrier can then simply fall away fromthe hook 200. As the barrier 204 is made from mild steel, it will sinkto the depths of the ocean, where it will completely corrode away withthe passage of time, thereby leaving no environmentally unfriendlyresidue products.

FIG. 13 shows a diagram in which the barrier 204 has been shown in atransparent form such that the juxtaposition of the hook, retaining pinand barrier can be seen. FIG. 13 also shows a modified hook thatincludes a lump or pimple 214 located in the shank region of the hook.Lump or pimple 214 assists in preventing the retaining pin 212 fromundesirably moving upwardly towards the barb of the hook. This furtherassists in retaining the barrier on the hook. A cross-sectional viewshowing the hook and pimple is shown in FIG. 13A.

FIGS. 14 to 17 show a further embodiment of the present invention. FIG.14 shows the components used in this particular embodiment. Thecomponents include a hook 220 having a barb 221, a shank 222 and a bend223. Hook 220 also includes an eye 224 that allows the hook to besecured to a fishing line. The hook 220 further includes a hole oropening 225 positioned in the bend of the hook.

The components further include a retaining pin 226, which suitably is ofsimilar construction to the retaining pin 212 described with referenceto the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 to 13.

The components further include a barrier 227 which is in the form of ashield 228 having a generally hemispherical shape. Opposed surfaces 229,230 of the shield 228 are each provided with holes, one of which 231 isshown in FIGS. 14 to 16.

Positioning and placement of the barrier 227 onto the hook 200 issimilar to that as described with reference to the embodiment shown inFIGS. 10 to 13. However, it differs in that the hole 231 and itsassociated hole in its opposed surface 230 is brought into alignmentwith hole 225 in the bend 223 of hook 220. Retaining pin 226 is theninserted through the holes in opposed surfaces 229, 230 of shield 228and also through the hole 225 in the bend 223 of the hook 220. This actsto thereby retain the shield 228 in position. Again, the dimensions ofthe shield and the hook and the action of the retaining pin act toretain the shield in place. In particular, the opposed surfaces 229, 230of the shield 228 are spaced apart by a distance that is very similar toor even slightly smaller than the diameter of the hook. As a result, theopposed surfaces 229, 230 lightly grip onto the hook when they are inposition to thereby resist rotation of the shield relative to the hookwhen the retaining pin is in place. It will be understood that the forceapplied by the opposed surfaces to the hook is not strong enough tosecurely retain the shield in place on the hook without the retainingpin also being present.

As can be seen from FIGS. 16 and 17, the shield provides a large barrierto ingestion of the hook by sea birds. Further, the shield preventsaccess to the hook whilst the shield is in a position shown in FIGS. 16and 17, which also acts to reduce the likelihood of a sea bird becominghooked in the feathers or the leg by the barb of the hook.

As is common with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, the retainingpin 226 used in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 14 to 17 will undergorapid galvanic corrosion when placed in seawater. Thus, the retainingpin will lose its structural integrity. After that, the shield 228 isfree to detach from and move completely away from the hook and the lineto which the hook is attached. Typically, the shield 228 will sink intothe depths of the ocean. The shield 228 is suitably made from mild steelor other material that will not leave a residue and thus, it willcompletely corrode or dissolve away in the depths of the ocean with thepassage of time.

The shields shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 10 to 17 may be simplymade by stamping mild steel sheet or mild steel plate. Thus, thebarriers will be very inexpensive to manufacture. Moreover, the barriersrepresent an environmentally friendly and effective apparatus forreducing the by-catch of seabirds in fishing operations, especially longline fishing operations. The shield is very simple to fix to the hookand will not unduly increase the time required to set lines, nor undulyincrease the cost of fishing.

EXAMPLE

Corrosion tests were conducted to determine the corrosion rate of somemetal alloys that had been identified as potential materials forincorporation into the barrier or used as the retaining pin of thepresent invention. Galvanic corrosion was selected as the mode by whichthe alloy would degrade. Thus, corrosion tests were conducted bycoupling the metal alloys to stainless steel or to mild steel.

The properties of the metal or alloy that were targeted in selecting themetal or alloy were high strength and a very negative (or active)potential on the galvanic series in sea water compared to stainlesssteel and mild steel. Galvanic anode alloys were initially selected.Some known galvanic anode alloys are given in Table 1 (the informationin Table 1 has been taken from AS 2239-2003):

TABLE 1 Typical properties of some galvanic anode alloys: Typical anodeTypical Typical anode consumption anode consumption Open circuitpotential, rate in sea consumption rate hot Ea Reference electrode waterrate in soil drinking water Anode alloy type Cu/CuSO4 Ag/AgCl kg/A ·year kg/A · year kg/A · year Zinc −1.1 V −1.05 to 12 12 Not used −1.15 VMagnesium: high potential −1.7 V −1.65 V Not used 7 6 low potential −1.5V −1.45 V Not used 7 6 Aluminium −1.05 to −1.00 to 3.5 Not used 6 −1.1 V−1.05 V NOTES: 1 Magnesium anodes are not suitable for long termprotection in sea water. 2 Copper sulphate reference electrodes are notrecommended for prolonged use in sea water.

Magnesium anodes have a high negative driving potential which makes themsuitable for the protection of steel structures where the environmenthas a high resistivity such as in soil and fresh water. Magnesium anodesare used extensively for the protection of buried pipelines, and also inhot and cold potable water applications and condensers, because theircorrosion by-products are non-toxic.

The following alloys were identified as suitable alloys forincorporation into the barrier:

Alloy M1 (0.1-Al, 0.2-Zn, 0.5-1.3-Mn, 0.05-Si, 0.02-Cu, 0.03-Fe,0.001-Ni, 0.04-Ca, Mg wt %) is a high potential anode material and isgenerally used for high resistivity soils and waters.

Alloy M2 (2.5-3.5-Al, 0.7-1.2-Zn, 0.2-1.5-Mn, 0.05-Si, 0.006-Cu,0.003-Fe, 0.001-Ni, 0.04-Ca, Mg wt %)

Alloy M3 (5.3-6.7-Al, 2.5-3.5-Zn, 0.25-0.4-Mn, 0.05-Si, 0.05-Cu,0.03-Fe, 0.003-Ni, 0.04-Ca, Mg wt %) which are used in mediumresistivity soils and water.

Alloy AZ61 (6.4-Al, 0.9-Zn, 0.2 Mn, Mg wt).

Corrosion tests were conducted by coupling the selected alloys to eitherfish hooks made from 420 series stainless steel or mild steel. Sea waterwas obtained in the Gold Coast Seaway Australia on the second half ofthe incoming tide and its temperature was maintained at 21° C.throughout the experiments. Weights of samples were measured using aMettler AE260 Delta range balance and zero resistance currentmeasurements were carried out using a Wenking LB75L potentiostat coupledto a Picolog ADC200 data logger as a ZRA (zero resistance ammeter).Corrosion failure measurements were carried out on a metallic pinsupported across a 420 series stainless fishing hook (3.20 mm diameterand immersed surface area approx 1303 mm²) with a 1 kg weight suspendedfrom the center of the pin. The pin the support and the weight wereimmersed in sea water and time to failure was measured; the dimensionsof the pin and the support immersed were noted.

Table 2 shows the measured corrosion rates for magnesium alloy when thealloy was coupled to stainless steel. Table 3 shows the measuredcorrosion rates for magnesium alloy when the alloy was coupled to mildsteel. Table 4 shows the measured corrosion rates for magnesium alloyswhen coupled to stainless steel and mild steel.

TABLE 2 Stainless Magnesium Corrosion Steel Length Area Current ratemm/20 Area mm² mm mm² Amps mm/sec mm/yr min 509 18 248 0.0171 9.66E−06305 0.012 1645 18 248 0.0228 1.28E−05 406 0.015 3410 18 248 0.02851.61E−05 508 0.019 5803 18 248 0.0305 1.72E−05 544 0.021 8823 18 2480.0375 2.11E−05 668 0.025 Hook 1342 14 193 0.0127 9.23E−06 291 0.011

TABLE 3 Magnesium Corrosion Steel length Area Current rate mm/20 Areamm² mm mm² Amps mm/sec mm/yr min 414 18 248 0.012 6.61E−06 209 0.0081457 18 248 0.016 9.15E−06 289 0.011 3127 18 248 0.020 1.14E−05 3580.014 5426 18 248 0.027 1.53E−05 483 0.018

TABLE 4 Stainless Steel Corrosion Area Ratio Steel Area MagnesiumCurrent rate Anode/ Alloy Area mm² mm² Area mm² Amps mm/sec Cathode M11303 — 838 0.029 2.38E−06 1.55 1303 980 838 0.062 5.18E−06 2.72 1303 98089 0.026 2.08E−05 25.67 M2 1303 — 881 0.02 1.59E−06 1.48 1303 980 8810.055 4.36E−06 2.59 1303 980 128 0.034 1.83E−05 17.73 1303 980 65 0.0212.35E−05 35.35 M3 1303 980 604 0.042 4.83E−06 3.79 1303 980 364 0.0346.58E−06 6.27 AZ61 1303 — 889 0.028 2.20E−06 1.46 1303 980 889 0.0514.01E−06 2.57 1303 980 124 0.033 1.88E−05 18.38 1303 980 57 0.0212.56E−05 40.15

Based on the assumption that the corrosion rate obtained for thegalvanic couple is the overall corrosion rate for the material, acylinder will lose 0.022 mm from its diameter in 20 min when coupled toa 420 series stainless steel hook of diameter 4.50 mm and overall length95 mm. Taking an average tensile strength for magnesium alloy to be 248MPa, the minimum cross sectional area for a pin to support a load of 1kg is 0.039 mm². This equates to a square pin of approximately 0.20mm×0.20 mm.

Testing was therefore carried out by loading a pin fashioned from Mgalloy with approximate dimensions of 0.38 mm×0.40 mm. This was thesmallest regular shape that could be constructed from the magnesiumalloy available. The 1 kg weight was attached and the pin supportedthrough the eye of the hook. The apparatus was placed in sea water andtime to failure was recorded. The results were as follows:

Magnesium Dimensions approx. (mm) Time to Failure 0.32 × 0.63 × 8.74 11min 17 sec 0.56 × 0.75 × 7.36 32 min 5 sec

The above results show that a barrier, or a link between a barrier and ahook, can be produced to provide failure at a given time when immersedin seawater to achieve the desired result of providing anenvironmentally friendly corrodeable link between a barrier and hook.

Other modifications and variations may also be possible. It will beappreciated that the present invention encompasses all such variationsand modifications that fall within its spirit and scope.

1. An apparatus for reducing by-catch of seabirds or turtles duringfishing, the apparatus including a fish hook and a barrier mounted in aposition relative to the fish hook such that the barrier reduces orprevents hooking of a seabird or turtle by the fish hook or ingestion ofthe hook by a seabird or turtle, wherein said apparatus includes adegradable component that degrades when placed in water such that whenthe degradable component degrades the barrier becomes completelydetached from the hook and the fishing line and moves away from theposition relative to the fish hook or no longer exists to allow the fishhook to be taken by a fish.
 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1wherein the degradable component comprises the barrier itself or part ofthe barrier or an additional component to the barrier, or a mountingmeans for mounting the barrier to the hook or a retaining means forretaining the barrier in position relative to the hook.
 3. An apparatusas claimed in claim 1 wherein the degradable component degrades after aperiod of time after placing the apparatus in water.
 4. An apparatus asclaimed in claim 3 wherein the period of time is sufficiently long toenable the fish hook and a bait attached to the fish hook to sink belowa diving depth of the seabirds.
 5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4wherein the period of time falls within the range of from 1 minute to 60minutes.
 6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the barrier ismounted to the fishing hook.
 7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1wherein the barrier is mounted to the fishing line attached to the hook.8. A barrier for mounting to a fish hook to reduce the likelihood of thehook being ingested by seabirds or turtles or to reduce or preventhooking of a seabird or a turtle by the fish hook, the barrier includinga member adapted to come into contact with a mouth of a seabird orturtle when the barrier is mounted to the hook to thereby reduce alikelihood of the seabird or turtle taking the hook into its mouth andbecoming hooked by the hook, the barrier comprising or including a partthat is degradable in water such that the barrier loses structuralintegrity a predetermined time after being placed in water and thebarrier thereby becomes detached from the hook and moves away from thehook and a fishing line to which the hook is attached.
 9. An ingestionbarrier for mounting to a fish hook to reduce the incidence of hooksbeing ingested by seabirds or turtles, the ingestion barrier including amember adapted to come into contact with a mouth of a seabird or turtlewhen the ingestion barrier is mounted to the hook to thereby reduce thelikelihood of ingestion by the seabird or turtle, the ingestion barriercomprising or including a part that is water soluble such that theingestion barrier or part thereof dissolves after being placed in watersuch that the barrier thereby becomes detached from the hook and movesaway from the hook and a fishing line to which the hook is attached. 10.An apparatus for mounting to a fish hook to reduce the likelihood of thehook being ingested by seabirds or turtles or to reduce or preventhooking of a seabird or a turtle by the fish hook, the apparatusincluding a barrier and a degradable component that facilitates mountingor retention of the barrier in position relative to the hook wherein thebarrier is adapted to reduce a likelihood of the seabird becoming hookedby the hook when the barrier is mounted or retained in position relativeto the hook, wherein the degradable component degrades in water andloses structural integrity such that the barrier can move away from thehook and a fishing line to which the hook is attached.
 11. Apparatus asclaimed in claim 10 wherein the barrier comprises a shield that isadapted to be placed over a hook to shield the hook to thereby reduce orprevent ingestion of the hook or undesired hooting of a seabird orturtle by the hook and the degradable component comprises a retainingmeans for retaining the shield in position relative to the hook. 12.Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the retaining means comprises apin.
 13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the shield includesopposed surfaces that are positioned on either side of the hook and thepin passes through respective holes in the opposed surfaces to therebyfacilitate retention of the pin in position relative to the hook. 14.Apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein the pin also passes through ahole or opening formed in the hook to more securely retain the hook inposition relative to the hook.
 15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10wherein the degradable component comprises a mounting means for mountingthe barrier to the hook.
 16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein thedegradable component degrades by one of the following mechanisms: (a)corrosion when placed in water; (b) galvanic corrosion when placed inwater; (c) the degradable component is made from or includes a metal oralloy that undergoes galvanic corrosion when the barrier is connected tothe hook and placed in water; or (d) dissolution in water.
 17. A methodfor fishing including the steps of providing an apparatus as claimed inany one of the preceding claims, baiting the hook and placing theapparatus and bait into a body of water whereby the bait and apparatussink below a diving level of seabirds and the degradable componentdegrades and the barrier falls away from the hook to thereby allow thehook to hook a fish.
 18. A hook for use in fishing in conjunction with abarrier mounted in a position relative to the hook such that the barrierreduces or prevents hooking of a seabird or a turtle by the hook oringestion of the hook by a seabird or turtle, the barrier having adegradable component or the pin degrades when placed in water such thatwhen the degradable component or the pin degrades the barrier becomescompletely detached from the hook and the fishing line and moves wayfrom the position relative to the fish hook or no longer exists to allowthe fish hook to be taken by a fish characterised in that the hookincludes a lump or an opening on a bend part of the hook, said lump oropening adapted to interact with the barrier or the pin associated withthe barrier to facilitate retention of the barrier or the pin and tothereby assist in retaining the barrier in position on the hook.
 19. Ahook as claimed in claim 18 wherein the lump prevents movement of thebarrier or the pin along with hook and past the lump.
 20. A hook asclaimed in claim 18 wherein the hook includes an opening, said openingreceiving part of the barrier of the pin.
 21. In combination, a hook andan apparatus as claimed in claim 10 mounted to the hook.
 22. Apparatusas claimed in claim 8 wherein the degradable component degrades by oneof the following mechanisms: (a) corrosion when placed in water; (b)galvanic corrosion when placed in water; (c) the degradable component ismade from or includes a metal or alloy that undergoes galvanic corrosionwhen the barrier is connected to the hook and placed in water; or (d)dissolution in water.
 23. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein thedegradable component degrades by one of the following mechanisms: (a)corrosion when placed in water; (b) galvanic corrosion when placed inwater; (c) the degradable component is made from or includes a metal oralloy that undergoes galvanic corrosion when the barrier is connected tothe hook and placed in water; or (d) dissolution in water.
 24. Apparatusas claimed in claim 10 wherein the degradable component degrades by oneof the following mechanisms: (a) corrosion when placed in water; (b)galvanic corrosion when placed in water; (c) the degradable component ismade from or includes a metal or alloy that undergoes galvanic corrosionwhen the barrier is connected to the hook and placed in water; or (d)dissolution in water.